In the Name of the Father is a film by Jim Sheridan, about the terrible miscarriage of justice that led to 4 young Irishmen being blamed for a bombing in Guildford, England, and for the deaths of 5 British citizens. The 4 defendants (later dubbed “The Guildford Four”) went through a veritable descent into hell, and were unjustly sentenced to anything from life imprisonment to 30 years. The film In the Name of the Father tells the scandalous true story of an incredible miscarriage of justice, based on the autobiographical book “Proved Innocent” by Gerry Conlon, one of the Guildford Four.
1974: Gerry Conlon, a 21-year-old Northern Irishman, lives from day to day in Belfast, multiplying petty crimes and thefts. Caught in the act of stealing copper and attempting to evade the British, he unwittingly approaches an IRA hideout, threatening the security of the armed group. Faced with this blunder, the IRA ordered Conlon to leave the city.
In response, Gerry Conlon left for London with his friend Paul Michael Hill. Before long, the two of them meet up with a hippie community, and lead a most dissolute life, marked by drugs and petty theft.
On October 5, 1974 in Guildford, Gerry and Paul rob a prostitute, unaware that at the same time, 2 British Pubs are the target of an IRA bomb attack. The attack resulted in the deaths of 5 British citizens, and caused a stir in the press, scandalizing public opinion. Under media pressure, the police rush to find the culprits, and find in Gerry and Paul the ideal culprits.
Gerry and Paul were then held in police custody for 7 days, without charge, and were both physically and verbally abused. After a week of harsh interrogation, beatings and psychological intimidation, the police managed to extract a confession from them. The latter, fabricated from scratch, implicate Gerry, Paul and two other hippie friends: Patrick “Paddy” Armstrong and Carole Richardson.
The police also accuse part of Gerry Conlon’s family of having been complicit in the attack, and of having manufactured the explosives used in the Guildford bombing.
After a lightning and botched trial, the prison sentences are as heavy as they are scandalous:
Gerry Conlon is imprisoned in the same penitentiary as his father, Giuseppe Conlon, and spends many years fighting alongside him to assert his innocence. But Gerry’s father died of lung disease. Saddened and broken, Gerry decides to carry on the battle, agreeing to work with a lawyer determined to get to the truth.
After years of investigation, she managed to expose the ignominy of this miscarriage of justice, and succeeded in freeing the Guildford Four. (By this time, the rest of the family had already served their sentences, and were out of prison).
Jim Sheridan made this film to criticize and highlight the terrible collateral damage caused by the Irish-British conflict. It’s a truly shocking and outrageous experience, thanks to the wonderful performance of an impeccable Daniel Day Lewis (as Gerry Conlon). Pete Postlethwaite, who plays Giuseppe, is equally talented, as is Emma Thomson, the lawyer in charge of the case.
A film as moving as it is poignant, to be seen again and again!
